Spring-felly automobile-wheel.



T. F. OBRIBN.

52mm; FELLTAUTOMOBILE WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 22, 1910;

Patented Jan. 9, 1912.

THOMAS O'BRIEN, 0F HIGHMORE, SOUTH DAKOTA.

SPRING-FELLY AUTOMOBILE-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patent ed Jan. 9, 1912.

Application tiled December 22, 1910. Serial No. 598,870.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, Tnoaus F. OBnnns', a citizen of the United States, residing at Highmore, in the county of Hyde and State of bouth Dakota, have Invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Felly Automobile-lVheels, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings.

This invention is an improved spring wheel for automobiles and other vehicles, the object of the invention being to provide a wheel of this class in which the tire is carried b radially movable spring-cushioned feliy sections which absorb shocks and enable the wheel to pass over uneven surfaces without jarring and jolting the automobile or other vehicle on which the same is employed and also enabling the use of pneumatic tires such as are conunonty employed, to be dispensed with, the invention consisting in the construction, combination and arrangement of devices hereinafter de scribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a portion of a spring wheel constructed in acoordanoe with my invention; and Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of the same on the plane indicated by the line 22 of Fig. 1.

For the purposes of this specification the hub of the wheel is indicated at 1 and the spokes at 2.

In accordance with my invention I lprovide an outer rim 3 and an inner rim 4 w IiCh is spaced from and concentric with the outer rim, both of the rims being secured to the spokes. In practice, these rims are preferably made of steel. The outer rim is provided at points between the spokes with threaded o nings 5. The inner rim is provided wi similar, but larger threaded openings 6, the centers of the said openings of the said rims being in the same radii.

Boxing bars 7, 8 are respectively provided on their outer sides Wlll'l cylindrical portions 9, 10 which are respectively engaged witlrtheopenings 5, dot the outer and inner rims so that the said boxin are dctachably secured to the said rims, t 10 inner portions of the boxings, or shouidem 11, 12, formed thereby, bearing respectively against the inner sides of the inner and outer rims. These lmxings are provided with central (awnings. which are radial with vided with ball races 13 in which operate hearing balls 14.

The tire l5 which may be made of any suitable material but which is preferablv, in practice, made of studded leather prbv|ded with a peri )heral outer tire member, is carried by telly sections [(3 which are hollowed on their outer sides to receive the inner sale of the tire. Each of these fcllv sections is provided on its inner side at its center, with a radially threaded opening with which is engaged the. outer end of a stem or rod 17. The said stems or rods pass through the openings in the boxing burs a, S and are engaged by the bearing balls thercof and each of the said stems or rods 15 provided, at a point a suitable distance from the outer boxing bur, with a shoulder 18. A coil extensile spring 19 is placed on each stem or rod 17 and bears between the shoulder 18 and the inner boxin bur 8. Hence, the said springs cushion the stems or rods of the felly sections and press the latter outwardly against the tire so that.the tire is firmly held on the outer side of the folly sections and yet the fellv sections are ra diaily movable and are cushioned by the said springs so that as the wheel revolves the spring cushioned sections on the under side of the wheel yield as the wheel asses over uneven surfaces and hence cause tiie vehicle to ride easily and smoothly and prevent the same from being jolted and jarred.

The diameter of the openings (3 and threaded cylindrical portions of the inner boxing burs is greater than that of the springs 19 so that after the said inner boxmg burs have been removed the said springs and the rods or stems 17 may be removed through said 0 enings, if the telly sect-ions 16 have been rst removed from the outer ends of the said stems or rods.

IIaving thus described my invention I claim:

In a wheel of the class described and provided with outer and inner spaced rims having threaded openings, outer and inner boxmg burs respectively provided with tlllcfltled portions engaging the said openings of the r'ims.' the said boxing burs being provided with radial alining openings. a tire, fellv sections engaging the tire and provided with radial movable Sl(lll-i operating in the openings of the boxing burs. the said stems being each provided with a stop nd (Nil tween said stops and the inner boxing burs, being detachably connected to the outer ends he diliuneter of thehstops ugldsprings beingf of the said stems.

ess I: an that of t e three openin 0 w the inner rim, so that said springs and s t ems THOMAS O BRIEN' may be removed throu b said 0 nings after the said inner burs ave been liz taehed from the inner rim, the said felly sections Atheist):-

M. HARRY OBRIEN, R. B. ROCKWELL. 

